March 2016-In just a few weeks I'll be off to the AQS Lancaster 2016 Show! I am very much looking forward to returning! I've been attending this show for about 18 years and Its always fun. I look forward to seeing the quilts and looking at all the vendors. I especially love the excursions to Sauders (now closed and merged with Zooks), Zooks, Dutchland Quilt Patch (my favorite) and the huge indoor farmers market across the street.

Sauders Fabrics ( somewhere near Lancaster)-Karen (left) and Me (right). It was such a windy day as we just arrived.

The first stop is Sauders Fabrics. Located in Pennsylvania, off a highway and on our way to downtown Lancaster. This quilt shop is such a find. I have spent hours among the bolts of quilting fabric. As we arrive and turn into the parking lot we first scope out if there is a tour bus visiting because then we know right away it will be tight as we maneuver through the bolts. As we get out of our vehicle, happy to stretch our legs after a long drive, we take in the surrounding "fertile" farmland aroma.

The shop, which is in the basement level of a house, and situated on farmland, is owned by a Mennonite family. The outhouse "port-a-potty" is available outside the building, and the indoor family bathroom is available to the public as well.

The shop has many fabric cutting stations setup throughout with extremely efficient Mennonite women/girls cutting fabric at top speed as tour buses keep coming during this busy quilt week. As you wait on line to have your fabric cut, figure out in advance how much your want from each bolt so are ready when its your turn.

The fabrics include every vendor and are priced at a discount. They carry a delightful assortment of Moda and Hoffman batiks, which are among my favorites. Before you leave check out the hand packaged bulk food section which includes items such as corn flakes, sugar, cookies, candy, spices and sprinkles and so much more.